The Institute For Attachment & Child Development ("IACD") offers the opportunity to help make a child's dreams come true and provide hope to many families. We want to help you to become Treatment Parents.

If you are interested in joining the IACD team as a Treatment Parent, or would like some information about the program please click here to email info@instituteforattachment.org.

How does Treatment Parenting work?

Treatment Parenting is an approach to treating children and training parents of children with severe emotional disorders. At IACD, the Treatment Parents are an essential component of supportive and clinical services. Because children with Attachment Disorder have the most difficulty dealing with the emotional closeness and reciprocal relationships that comes with family living, the family is crucial to helping the child heal and learn to live in within a family setting and in society. Children enrolled in IACD’s Two-week Intensive, Extended Care, Support Supervision and Permanent Placement, Families for Colorado Children, and Respite programs live with Treatment Parent families while in treatment.

What Does it Take to Become Treatment Parents?

Becoming Treatment Parents requires special experience and unique personal qualities. They include previous parenting experience, the willingness to continually upgrade knowledge of parenting and other skills needed to care for a child with Attachment Disorder you must be assertive, intelligent, empathetic, responsible, nurturing, possess a sense of humor, patient, and have the ability to act as part of a team.

The Therapeutic Parents are highly skilled and trained individuals who work in conjunction with a treatment team, creating an environment in which the team treatment plan is implemented on a 24-hour basis. Treatment Parents are not only committed to children and the team approach to treatment, they are committed to remaining emotionally stable and healthy despite a child’s provocation then are open to consideration of all therapeutic tools and dedicated to staying current in the field through continuing education.

Treatment Parent Characteristics

• Able to form a heart connection
• Fun loving
• Provide a structured family environment
• Able to laugh off hardships
• Nurturing - must love kids
• Don't take things too personally
• Confident
• Part of a team - not a loner
• Are open to being coached and trainable

Why is IACD's program different?

• Provides systems, structure, hands on help for the Treatment Parents
• Private, not for profit organization
• Children return to their placing family
• Part of an extended family - Treatment parents are part of the 'extended family' of the child in treatment.
• We are a successful model with a75% - 80% success rate

Desired Qualifications

• Want to have other kids in their family
• No felonies
• No child abuse
• Desire to make a difference
• Good values - Know difference between right and wrong
• Able to teach
• Have strong moral values
• Be at least 21 years of age
• Willing to sacrifice part of their life
• Have parenting experience
• A team player - shared risk
• Able and willing to withstand the physical and mental pressures of assisted parenting
• Coachable

Benefits and Reasons to be a Treatment Parent

• Become part of an extended family
• Work with a successful model
• Earn good tax-free income for the parenting services performed
• Minimum risks - supported by a team
• Change a child's life (and their parent's life)